A new kitchen calls for a new recipe

Hey there! I know it’s been a quiet week on the blog, but it certainly hasn’t been a quiet week for me! I just moved to a different neighborhood in Milwaukee and after hauling boxes out of one apartment, into the next and then moving them once again to be recycled, it’s exhausting! Having a somewhat empty fridge was a great excuse to explore some of the fantastic restaurants around me (posts to follow soon!), there’s nothing as satisfying as having all your cookbooks, dishes, pots and pans unpacked and the fridge stocked up for a delicious first breakfast.

So, this morning, I woke up a little earlier than I normally would so I could go all out on this one. I’ve been waiting for the perfect morning to choose a recipe from Bon Appétit‘s special edition, Essential Brunch, and I knew this was it!

It was hard to narrow it down from 117 weekend brunch ideas, but the Diner-Style French Toast jumped out at me, and I hurried over to Whole Foods to pick up some challah (I’ll try making that from scratch another day).

I think it’s safe to say most french toasts are pretty easy. You whisk eggs, milk and some cinnamon together, you dip the bread in it, and you throw it on the skillet or griddle and voilà! There’s your breakfast. It’s pretty fool-proof. At least, that’s what I thought… until I tried this recipe and realized I’d been missing out on the most delicious homemade french toast recipe ever.

It was a little more time consuming, I’ll admit, but as soon as I took my first bite, I knew it was worth it. The edges had a little bit of a crisp crunch to them and the middle was so soft.

I worked in batches of two for this recipe, and I didn’t want any pieces of toast to be cold by the time I was done cooking the other slices. So, I decided to preheat my oven to 175 degrees and put each finished batch in a baking dish lined with parchment paper so I wouldn’t feel as rushed with the remaining batches… although I will admit, it was hard to be patient when the scent of cinnamon filled the whole kitchen. Once it was FINALLY time to eat, I sprinkled powdered sugar, syrup and fresh raspberries on top.

I’m already counting down to next weekend so I can choose another recipe from Bon Appétit’s brunch issue!

Diner-Style French Toast
Recipe courtesy of Bon Appétit

3 large eggs

1 1/4 cups whole milk

1 tsp. granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

4 tsp. vegetable oil, divided

4 tbs. unsalted butter, softened and divided into four

8 3/4″-thick slices of challah (brioche would work well as a substitute)